As a professional real estate broker, I have experience helping clients sell their homes without a realtor. Here are some elaborations on each point to give you a better understanding of what each step entails:

Step 1: Prepare your home

The first step in preparing your home for sale is decluttering. You want to create a clean and organized space that will allow potential buyers to see themselves living in the home. This can be done by removing personal items, excess furniture, and anything that is not essential to the home.

Cost:

This step does not have a cost associated with it, but it does require some time and effort.

Step 2: Stage your home

Stage your home. According to the national association of realtors, homes that are staged sell for 11% more than homes that are not staged. Staged homes also sell faster than homes that are not staged. With average prices over 1 million dollars in Mississauga, it is extremely important to have your home professionally staged before listing it on MLS. 

Cost:

The cost of staging varies depending on the size of the home and the level of staging required. On average, staging can cost anywhere from $4,000 to $10,000.

Step 3: Find out how much your house is worth

Pricing your home correctly is essential to selling it quickly and for top dollar. To determine the value of your home, you will need to conduct a comparative market analysis (CMA). This involves analyzing comparable homes in your area that have sold recently to determine a fair market value for your home.

Cost:

You can hire a professional Property Appraisal to determine the value of your home. The cost of the appraisal is typically around $400. Please note appraisals determine the value of your home very conservatively; typically 3-6% below market value leaving money on the table at the time of sale. 

As a token of appreciation to earn your business and referral in the future, we will provide a full comparative market analysis free of charge with no strings attached. Please click here to fill out the form and we will get back to you.

Step 4: Professional HDR Photography

Over 90% of home buyers search for homes online. So hiring a professional photographer dramatically increases your chance against your competition. Now, I have seen agents taking photos from their phones and just listing it on MLS but the reality is those photos never capture buyers' attention like professional photos do. You want those pictures to pop up and the buyers to fall in love with your home before stepping inside your home

Cost:

The cost of professional photography ranges from $350 to $500.

Step 5: Professional Video walkthrough of your home Plus Drone shots

Almost 80% of the content consumed on the internet is in the form of video, therefore it is very important to showcase your home in the form of a video walkthrough. This gives home buyers a complete and in-depth tour of each room, and the drone shot can give you a sense of the neighborhood and what it is like to live in the area. When we do video walkthroughs, we not only take interior shots of the home but also exterior shots of the house, the neighborhood, the community, schools, shops, restaurants, and transit. This in fact has been so successful that we have had buyers from around the world putting offers on our listings without physically visiting the property. All with the power of Video marketing. 0

Cost:

The cost of a videographer ranges from $700 to $1,000.

Step 6: Property Description

Property Description. By now, you have prepped your home, staged it, know what it will sell for, and got awesome photos and videos taken. Now it’s time to write a property description. At this point, you have to determine who is your ideal buyer. for example, are they gonna be a newly weds or a family with 3 young kids or someone who is downsizing? Based on the demographic, you have to write an awesome property description to evoke emotions. Point out all the important features of the home and more than often, those are the features you fell in love with when you bought the house. So spend some time on this to write a good compelling story about your home. 

Cost:

Professional Ad Copywriter ranges from $20 per word to $50 per word. 

Step 7: List it on MLS

Listing your home on MLS is an important step in getting your home in front of potential buyers. MLS is a database of properties for sale in Canada that is accessible to real estate professionals and the public. Listing your home on MLS allows it to be seen by a wider audience and can increase your chances of finding the right buyer.

Cost:

The cost to list your home on MLS varies, but there are service providers who can list your home for $499.

In conclusion, selling your home without a realtor can be a great way to save money on commissions. However, it does require some effort on your part to prepare your home for sale and market it effectively. By following these 10 steps and working with a professional real estate broker, you can sell your home quickly and for top dollar.

Step 8: Advertise Online

So you have staged your house, and taken high-quality photos and videos, but is listing your property on MLS enough to expose your home to the right buyer? Absolutely not. It is time to advertise your listings all over the internet 24/7 until it is sold. Here is exactly what we do when we list homes. We advertise the listing on Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, Youtube, Linkedin, and Google. We spend somewhere between $40 to $50 a day to advertise on each platform. So around $250 to 300 a day for the first 15 days. Most of our listings sell within 8-14 days so once the house is sold we stop the advertisement campaign. 

Cost:

Advertisement budget can go around $4,000 to $7,000

Step 10: Showings, Open Houses etc

Once your home is up on MLS you will get phone calls. A LOT OF PHONE CALLS. Now, 90% of the calls will be from Realtors calling you saying they have a buyer for your home but then somewhere along the way, they will tell you to list your home with them. This is going to be one of the most frustrating parts of your journey. All the agents calling you to get your listing. Only about 5-10% will be for real showing requests. The rest will be just to get your listing. So prepare yourself and give some thought to how to manage this. Now for real showings, you have to be home to accommodate them. Showings can range from 9 am to 9 pm. The more you decline showings because it does not align with your schedule, the longer your home is gonna stay in the market and the less money it will sell for. So no matter what time the showing request is, you have to make every effort to accommodate the showings. In addition, you have to advertise on the Internet that you are going to have open houses. Open houses are typically between 2-4 pm Saturday and Sunday. 

Cost:

Your time

If you follow these steps I can confidently say your home will look better than 50% of the homes that are currently listed because quite frankly the majority of the home listed in today’s market are not staged, taken photos from their cell phone, and stick a for sale sign. So if you have to choose between an agent who does the bare minimum and doing it yourself, I absolutely recommend you do it yourself to save on some commission, but I can tell you some of the best deals I found and negotiated tens of thousands of dollars below market value were homes sold by for sale by owner. So don’t just list your home because you want to save on commission..list it wisely and follow these steps so you don’t leave any money on the table. If you have any questions about selling your home yourself, do not hesitate to contact me